1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a display method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A peripheral apparatus control system enables a user of an information processing apparatus to access a peripheral apparatus via an appropriate interface, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), Ethernet®, or wireless LAN. This kind of control systems can be effectively used for various users in their houses and offices. An example of the peripheral apparatus is, for example, a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine, a scanner, a digital camera, or a multifunction peripheral.
Windows® 7, i.e., an operating system provided by Microsoft Corporation, includes newly introduced functions to manage peripheral apparatuses connected to an information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer (which may be referred to as “PC” in the following description). For example, the “Devices and Printers” folder is a window that displays apparatuses connected to the PC. The Device Stage® has a link function capable of displaying a link to a unique application or a service provided by each peripheral apparatus.
A “Devices and Printers” folder screen (see FIG. 5A) can be displayed when it is selected by a user on a “start menu” screen of the Windows. Further, a “Device Stage” screen (see FIG. 5B) of each peripheral apparatus can be opened when it is selected by a user from the “Devices and Printers” folder. The Device Stage can provide a visual screen that enables each user to easily access a function or a service relating to the apparatus.
A multi-function peripheral (hereinafter, referred to as “MFP”) including a printer, a facsimile machine, a scanner, and a storage is an example of the peripheral apparatus. For example, it is useful to provide a task (button) on the “Device Stage” screen as a link to a web site (or a page) providing the latest software for a peripheral apparatus or an executable file.
According to the above-described example, a user can launch a web browser or a comparable application on the “Device Stage” screen to download and acquire the latest software for a peripheral apparatus (i.e., MFP). The software prepared for a peripheral apparatus is generally differentiated in binary depending on the version of an operating system (hereinafter, referred to as “OS”). In such a case, software applicable to the version of each OS is stored in a different link destination, such as a web site or a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.
Further, it is useful to provide a task (button) on the “Device Stage” screen as a link to open a print setting screen for a printer driver or a reading setting screen for a scanner driver. There are various on-line services available via the Internet for information processing apparatuses and peripheral apparatuses. For example, if the “Device Stage” screen provides a link to a support site on the Internet that is provided by a manufacturer of an apparatus, users can easily access an intended site relating to their apparatuses. In the following description, the “Device Stage” screen may be referred to as a device management screen. A conventional technique is discussed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-67893.
It is feasible to associate a function dependent on the version of each OS with a task (button) on the “Device Stage” screen and display the task (button) on the “Device Stage” screen. For example, it is now presumed that Windows Z represents a new version of Windows 7 OS. It is further presumed that software dedicated to the Windows Z OS is downloadable from a web site and installable for a peripheral apparatus when the Windows Z OS is running on an information processing apparatus. In this case, the above-described function can be associated with a task (button) on the “Device Stage” screen so that a user can use the task (button).
However, the above-described task (button) cannot be displayed on the “Device Stage” screen if the OS running on an information processing apparatus is Windows 7. The “Device Stage” is a new function introduced for the Windows 7 OS. Therefore, the Device Stage will be available for the succeeding OS “Windows Z” although details of its framework and functions are unknown at this moment. Hence, it is presumed that a framework and functions of the Device Stage oriented to Windows Z are similar to those of the Device Stage oriented to Windows 7.
Then, it is presumed that device meta data (e.g., a device management control file), which is a constituent element of the Device Stage oriented to Windows 7, can be used for the Windows Z OS. However, the framework of the Device Stage provided by the Windows 7 OS does not include any function for switching display/non-display of a task (button) according to the version of the OS. Further, the framework of the Device Stage provided by the Windows 7 OS does not have any capability of changing the function associated with a task (button) or changing the view content of a task (button) according to the version of the OS.
Accordingly, as described above, in an information processing apparatus on which the Windows Z OS is running, software dedicated to the Windows Z OS is downloaded from a web site and installed for a peripheral apparatus. If the above-described function is provided to a user in association with a task (button) on the “Device Stage” screen, the capability of switching display/non-display of the task (button) or switching valid/invalid of the function depending on the version of the OS may not be available.
More specifically, in an information processing apparatus on which the Windows Z OS is running, the above-described task (button) is displayed on the “Device Stage” screen for validation of the function. In such a case, the task (button) can also be displayed on the “Device Stage” screen and its function becomes usable in an information processing apparatus on which the Windows 7 OS is running if the used device meta data (e.g., the device management control file) is the same.
To the contrary, in an information processing apparatus on which the Windows 7 OS is running, the above-described task (button) is not displayed on the “Device Stage” screen for invalidation of the function. In such a case, the task (button) cannot be displayed on the “Device Stage” screen and its function becomes unusable in an information processing apparatus on which the Windows Z OS is running even if the used device meta data (e.g., the device management control file) is the same.